fresh

Now that it’s October in the Northeast, we are deep into pumpkin spice season (even though maple is the new pumpkin spice, and I will keep saying it until everyone listens). But neither pumpkin nor maple are the only fabulous flavor of this perfectly crisp couple months. We should be embracing the full bounty that fall affords us.

For example, if you haven’t tried every varietal of apple at your local farmers’ market yet, you’re doing fall wrong. From Spencers (my personal favorite) to Honey Crisps to Macouns, each one has its own je ne sais quoi. Some are meant for pies, others for snacking; but no matter how you eat it the apple is one of the most defining tastes of autumn. Throw them into any salad and their crunch and unique sweetness will transport you to an orchard on a cold day in soft flannel–and there are no crowds. And it’s sunny. Can you imagine.

This salad may seem a bit busy…it has more than a handful of ingredients, but each one brings that extra something that gives it the capacity to be a stand alone meal. Sweet apples, crunchy hazelnuts, salty pancetta, earthy parsnips, and a good bite from the raw shallots. What’s so wrong with a salad chock full of tasty bits anyway? Nothing, because then you don’t have to force yourself to eat it. You will want to eat it.

Set your oven to 350 degrees. Peel the parsnips and cut them into bite size cubes, then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft. Let cool and set aside.

Fry the pancetta until crispy. Place on paper towels to absorb the grease and to cool. Once cooled, crumble and combine with parsnips.

Chop up your hazelnuts.

Slice shallot and apple thinly. Add to big bowl of mixed greens. Throw in hazelnuts, pancetta, and parsnips. Add salad dressing and combine until everything is well coated. Shave cheese of choice atop the salad and serve immediately.

Few things are as satisfying on a cold October day than a mug of soup. Something that is equally satisfying is finding a way to use the different varieties of squash that came out of your CSA farmshare that have been serving merely as decorative gourds because you didn’t know how to use them all.Whenever I am at the farmers’ market I find myself staring longingly at all the crates of squash, they are just so festive. I am particularly drawn to the miniature ones. Be honest, you are too. So while you’re digging around in the back of your closet for your thick socks and your sweaters, this is the perfect thing to have bubbling away on the stove.

Butternut squash soup is easy and a standby once fall comes around, but every now and again it needs a reboot to keep things exciting. The delicata and buttercup squash add other flavor dimensions, roasting them brings out their sweetness, and generally I am a sucker for anything with pumpkin pie spice — and it really just makes this soup that much better. You can use other squash varieties (like sugar pumpkin which would fit perfectly in this crew), these are just what I had on hand.

I had considered getting ambitious and caramelizing some roasted pumpkin seeds to put on top, but lost steam and got hungry so I ate it with a hunk of baguette instead (a choice I don’t regret). I encourage you to eat it however you see fit.

Set oven at 350 degrees. Slice each squash down the middle lengthwise and remove the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet flesh-side-down and bake for 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Let the squash cool and using a spoon scrape out the flesh from the skins and set aside.

In a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat, melt butter and sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Add in the spices, herbs, and squash, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Add in the cider and stock, cover, turn down the heat to medium low, and let simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

If after 20 minutes everything is softened (if not, give it 5 more minutes or so), remove from the heat and blend (either with a hand blender or transfer the mix in batches to a traditional blender). Return to pot and stir in the cream. Test the flavor for seasoning, adding more spice, salt, and pepper if needed.

Stir spices into the yogurt and serve a healthy dollop on top of each cup of soup with an additional dusting of spice.

The tomatoes are coming. You can see them popping up here and there, in glorious shades of yellow and orange, and even bits of red. They will continue gain glory as the summer progresses. It’s all terribly exciting.

Tomatoes tend to pair well with a lot of different flavors since they somehow manage to be sweet and acidic and unique all at once. However one of the simplest, and most pleasurable ways to enjoy them is unadorned with some basil and mozzarella. And bread, obviously. Because bread makes everything better. You add roasted garlic and it just becomes aggressively addictive.

Sometimes you have to just eat this standing up at the kitchen counter, because to take it all the way to the table is just too long to wait.

Caprese & Roasted Garlic Bruschetta

The caprese piece of this is as you expect, but the roasted garlic is the secret weapon that sets it apart. It’s such an easy way to add another element to an already delicious situation.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the head of garlic horizontally and place on a baking sheet flesh side up and drizzle with olive oil. Cook until fragrant and slightly browned. Set aside.
2. Dice tomatoes and mozzarella, mix together in a bowl with salt, pepper, chopped fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar.
3. Slice the baguette (or other equally delicious bread) and drizzle with olive oil and toast in oven until just browned on the edges. Dig the roasted garlic cloves out of the husks and spread one or two cloves on each slice of bread (the beauty of roasted garlic is that it becomes creamy and takes on a nutty, dreamy flavor. If you don’t like it though, you can omit it or use butter).
4. Top the slices with the tomato and mozzarella mixture, and eat immediately while the bread is warm and the mix is cool.

Salad can be sexy, when it wants to be. I feel akin to salad in this way. It may not be easy, and you definitely have to work for it, but it can happen. Besides it’s what’s on the inside that counts and this salad is overflowing with inherent goodness.

It’s bright and refreshing, and helped me understand why some cultures eat salad as a palate cleanser course after the main dish. It’s not necessarily an everyday salad. The flavors are bold but not overwhelming, which sounds oxymoronic but it’s true. They are flavors begging to be served alongside some seafood or with just with some bread and cheese. And wine.

So really, this is a sexy salad. Splashy colors…aggressive flavors…but approachable. What else could you ask for?

The amount of any ingredient used is to your specific taste, and for how much salad you intend to make. There are no rules with this–everyone’s sexy…er, salad…is different.

Per the photos above, build up your salad starting with the arugula. Supreme the citrus (instructions here), and then squeeze the juice from the remaining pith over everything. Drizzle some olive oil, add salt and pepper, then toss all together. Serve it up immediately.